Andrew Wilkie has an important decision to make. For a long time now he's been a passionate campaigner for real pokies reform to curb problem gambling -- going up against the powerful clubs and hotels lobby who have been fighting dirty to protect their profits.
Now Mr. Wilkie is under enormous pressure from a cashed up and desperate industry and a government that is trying to save face.
This Government promised Mr. Wilkie they would pursue meaningful, evidence-based solutions to an addiction that's costing Australian families $12 billion every year.
But then they caved, and reneged on their promise to Wilkie and the Australian people. Now they are proposing yet another delay: an industry trial which experts say is actually designed to fail.
It’s one giant con. But if he's going to reject this bill and hold out for stronger reform, Andrew Wilkie needs to know that he's not going it alone. Messages directly from voters urging him to stay strong will give him the mandate he needs to avoid a 'compromise' that really just lets the government off the hook. Can you send Mr. Wilkie a short message so he knows the community wants him to stay strong?
http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/contact-andrew-wilkie/send-your-support
Here are the 2 big problems with the Government's plan:
1 - It would roll out voluntary pre-commitment across the country. But three previous Australian trials already have shown that this fails to protect problem gamblers. It's not surprising: as few as 1.5% of gamblers choose to use it. We wouldn't have voluntary seat-belt laws or safety regulations!
2 - Mandatory pre-commitment would be trialled in the ACT only, which has one of the lowest average losses on poker machines in the country. The gambling industry hopes this will prove mandatory pre-commitment doesn't make much of a difference. It's deigned to fail - and that's why industry lobbyists are happy with it.
This smokescreen won't do. Let's tell Andrew Wilkie we've got his back, and urge him not to give in to phony reform.
http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/contact-andrew-wilkie/send-your-support
Mr. Wilkie knows - and we know - that passing fake reform is actually worse than doing nothing, because it gives the appearance of real action, instead of standing up to the industry and restricting a dangerous and damaging product.
We know what the real solutions are: ten years of research by the Productivity Commission, hundreds of submissions and hours of expert testimonies have already been heard. The Government knows what to do, it just doesn't want to do it.
Please take a moment to write your note of encouragement to Andrew Wilkie today:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/contact-andrew-wilkie/send-your-support
Thanks,
Erin, for the team at GetUp.
PS - our advertising campaign with the Stop The Loss coalition continues. Check out the front-page and full page ads about this very issue in today's The Australian newspaper.
